TEMECULA: Fall Rod Run rolls into Old Town this weekend

Shuttle service offered to get spectators to Saturday's event

For Pat Vesey, a love of cars is a generational thing ... three
generations, to be precise.

Vesey hopes the fall Temecula Rod Run, which rolls into Old Town
this weekend, will help to foster that same transgenerational
bonding in others. It's a bond he knows can arise from the shared
awe of shiny chrome, custom paint jobs and pristine interiors.

The Rod Run events start Friday with an evening cruise of
classic cars. The main event ... the Show and Shine ... will take
place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, where hundreds of cars that will
be on display.

Vesey, 65, said his passion for muscle cars was born out of
necessity, to have a nice ride without paying a lot of money. He,
along with others who were teenagers in the late 1950s, would buy
inexpensive cars from a junkyard and fix them up.

"I think it was a good way to grow up," he said. "When you build
something, you have more respect for it."

But it wasn't until the next generation when Vesey's son,
Patrick, was 15 years old, that his passion for cars reignited. The
two of them restored a 1967 Mustang, and lucky young Patrick was
cruising around in a sweet ride, complete with fuzzy dice hanging
from the rearview mirror.

Pat Vesey said he's restored more than 50 cars during his
lifetime. He's got two classic cars ... a 1958 Ford Fairlane and a
1965 Mustang ... in his possession now. He just sold his 1955
Mercury.

"They come and they go," he said.

His granddaughter Annalisa, 3, one of his four grandchildren,
teases him and say his two cars should be pink, instead of
turquoise and powder blue. He said that they are both hues of blue
is purely coincidental. He's owned the spectrum of car-paint colors
throughout his lifetime. He hopes to be able to build cars with his
grandchildren once they grow up a bit.

"There is not a car I don't like," said Vesey. "Everyone who
owns a car, loves it. And that is the best thing in the world."

Vesey, who founded the Ron Run as well as the nonprofit
foundation that disseminates the proceeds from the event, has
stepped away from his active role with the foundation. But nothing
has diminished his passion for the cars and the people who love
them.

"Car people are so nice," he said. "The Rod Run is really a
family event."

Ray Waite, the president of the P&R Foundation, said the
Spring Rod Run in March was sold out and he expects the upcoming
show to sell out quickly. As a result, the group has raised the
number of cars allowed to enter to 725 from 650.

The P & R Foundation is a nonprofit organization that
supports various local charities.

Vesey said the foundation raises approximately $30,000 per Rod
Run, money that it donates to local charities. Vesey said the
foundation is working to assist the Boys & Girls Clubs of
Southwest County, and in the past has helped groups such as the
Boys Scouts of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"Every dime we can give away, we give away," Waite said.
"Myself, the volunteers and the board do it for the love of the
community."

Vesey said the first year of the Fall Rod Run, in 2000,
surpassed expectations. While traditionally smaller than the Spring
Rod Run, the fall event annually draws 40,000 to 50,000 people.

He said he's seen an increase in the number of extravagant cars,
which cost $250,000 or more. He said it's not uncommon for car
enthusiasts to begin lining up at 3 a.m. to get a premium parking
spot at the event.

He said while the Temecula Rod Runs are a staple for car
enthusiasts in Southern California, there have been entries from as
far away as Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Minnesota.

He said the Rod Runs would not be possible without the help of
the 60 volunteers from the Drifters Car Club, who help with the
logistics of the event.

"They do anything they are asked to do," Vesey said. "We
couldn't do it without them."

Vesey said the support the event receives from the city of
Temecula, by way of street closures, police support and directional
signs, is invaluable.

This year the city is expected to offer added help with a
shuttle service. Due to construction activity in Old Town, Rod Run
attendees are encouraged to take advantage of the complimentary
service, which will provide free transportation from various
designated parking locations.

The shuttle service will operate from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
A listing of the parking and pickup locations can be found at
www.cityoftemecula.org
.